It was close, but the Guinness World Record for the most surfers riding the same wave remains 110 set at the 2009 Earthwave Beach Festival at Muizenberg Beach in Cape Town after today’s best effort at the same venue came in at 93.

Despite the ideal offshore winds and gentle rolling half metre waves, the unseasonable rainy weather reduced the field from last year’s record 443 to ‘just’ 228 participants. Even though nearly 50% of those who took part managed to catch and ride the same wave for the required five seconds, they could not improve on the existing record.

“What a fantastic effort by Cape Town’s surfing community,” enthused Dene Botha from Kahuna Promotions, founders of the Earthwave concept that leverages the immense interest around Guinness World Record attempts to highlight climate change and raise awareness of sustainable lifestyle options.

“We may not have been able to improve on the record, but the rain did nothing to dampen the spirits of the hundreds of people at the beach for longboard and SUP events and Earthwave’s program of environmental awareness was the best in the 4 year history of the festival,” Botha added

The two day event included stop No. 3 of 5 on the SA Longboard Series and the first course racing events at Muizenberg in the rapidly growing Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) discipline. These ran in conjunction with talks by organisations such as 350.org and the Climate Action Partnership, who calculated carbon footprints, displays on marine life by Save Our Seas and demos of wind turbines and solar panels by 3rd Rock Energy.

Noordhoek local Justin Bing won the Open division of the longboarding ahead of Michael Grendon, Alfonso Peters and Dylan McLeod from Port Elizabeth. Bing moved into the lead on the series standings with the next event scheduled for the Eastern Cape in six weeks and inaugural national series will be finalised in Durban early next year.

Tarryn Kyte won the Women’s division, Muizenberg local Papi Makanyane took the Juniors, Deon Bing the Over 35’s and Gary Van Rooyen the O/50’s.

The super-fit van Rooyen also placed fourth in the Coreban SUP racing, behind winner Greg Bertish, runner-up Peter Peterson from Germany and Jono Rosslind, another competing in both events.

The host of activities during the festival included a Dig for Gold for the youngsters, spinning trials run by Spin 4 Charity, an outstanding display of big wave and Earthwave photographs by Nic Bothma, fund-raising by the Shark Spotters, who provided additional staff for the record attempt, and also the Sunflower Fund who do sterling work on behalf of those with leukemia.

Earthwave also featured a transformation component organised by Surfing South Africa and the Ticket to Ride Foundation, supported by Sport & Recreation SA and the Lotto, which brought 15 youngsters from Masiphumalele to the beach where they also received a hearty meal thanks to Compass Bakery.

The festival concludes with the Corona After-Party at the popular Brass Bell pub and restaurant in Kalk Bay featuring surf band the Little Kings, promos, the draw for the raffle and an auction of eco friendly items from Aidan Bennetts Design along with Corona and Monster Energy. This year there is a R10 cover-charge, the entire proceeds of which will be split between Spin 4 Charity, the Sunflower Fund and the Shark Spotters program.

The Earthwave Beach Festival got underway in sunny skies and light onshore winds at Surfer’s Corner in Muizenberg today with the opening rounds of stop No. 3 of 5 in the SALSA Longboard surfing series and the first of the Coreban SUP races setting the stage for a grand finale and the Guinness World Record attempt on Sunday.

The beach was a hive activity as Spin 4 Charity hosted spinning trials alongside talks on environmental topics by 350.org and others, spectators browsed through the incredible images on display by renowned photographer Nic Bothma, carbon footprints were calculated by CAPS, wind turbines and solar panels from 3rd Rock Energy were perused and free beverages were dispensed by Loaded Smoothies and Monster Energy.

Greg Bertish won the first leg of Coreban SUP races, powering around the ‘M’ shaped course to finish ahead of Ivan van Vuuren, Jono Rosslind and Justin Bing. Craft of all shapes and sizes were demonstrated, including an incredibly light, streamlined Kevlar racing model that drew plenty of attention.

Former SA champion Dylan McLeod (PE) advanced to semi-finals of Open division of the longboard event, as did Rosslind, who is competing in both events, and Durban’s Brad Weare. PE surfers Faye Zoetmulder in the Women’s event and Grant Beck in the Juniors will also be contesting their respective divisions on the final day.

Wavescape, the official online and surf forecasting partners of Earthwave, predict light cross-offshore winds for Sunday morning and Kahuna Promotions, organisers of Earthwave and the Guinness World Record for the most surfers riding on the same wave, are optimistic that the record of 110 set at last year’s event can be raised even higher.

Registration for the GWR event starts at 10am and the hundreds of participants are expected to line up on the beach at 12.30 before paddling out for the one hour attempt at 1pm. Approximately six to eight waves are expected to be ridden in the 60 minutes.

While an attempt is made to count the surfers on each wave, it is photographic evidence that provides the final proof of how many surfers are up and riding five seconds after taking off. The official figures for the day will be announced at the Corona Earthwave After-Party at the Brass Bell in Kalk Bay.

The party starts at 5pm and features surf band the Little Kings, promos, the draw for the raffle and an auction of eco friendly items from Aidan Bennetts Design. This year there is a R10 cover-charge, the entire proceeds of which will be split between Spin 4 Charity, the Sunflower Fund, who will also be selling their Bandanas on the each during the day, and the Shark Spotters program which will have additional staff on duty during the GWR attempt.

The Earthwave Beach Festival offers fun in the sun for people of all ages, including a Dig for Gold with 50 valuable prizes ranging from branded wetsuits and sunglasses to apparel and footwear buried in the sand.

Action aplenty as surfers challenge World Record at Earthwave Beach Festival

There will be action aplenty at the Earthwave Beach Festival at Muizenberg this weekend as Cape Town’s surfers try to break the Guinness World Record of 110 riding on the same wave alongside talks and displays on environmental issues, a photographic exhibition, contests for Longboard surfers and Stand Up Paddleboarders (SUP) and fund raising for worthy causes, before reaching a climax at a huge after-party on Sunday evening.

The fourth annual Earthwave event also features plenty of activities for youngsters, including a Dig for Gold with thousands of Rands in prizes, development surfing, a survey on starting a local surfers environmental organisation, calculating your carbon footprint, a tourism quiz with prizes, free books and CD’s on sustainable lifestyles, free beverages from Loaded Smoothies and Monster Energy and loads of give-aways, sticker showers and competitions.

The highlight will be the Guinness World Record attempt on Sunday, when even more than the 443 surfers of all ages who set the record last year are expected to take to the surf in sunny weather and ideal one metre rolling waves. Registration of participants starts at 10am and all participants line-up on the beach in a spectacular display of the diversity of the surfing lifestyle at 12.30.

Entering the surf at 12.55, half a dozen or more attempts will be made between 1pm and 2pm to get more than 110 surfers riding the same wave for 5 seconds or more. This all takes place under the watchful eye of the Shark Spotters (who will have additional staff on duty), a pair of Billabong / Monster Energy Jetskis in the surf and the reassuring presence of a flotilla of NSRI craft behind the break while highly trained paramedics from Medics in Motion and also the local Lifeguards are on-hand for any eventualities on the beach.

The Ticket to Ride Foundation will be bringing 15 rookie surfers from Masiphumelele to participate in the record attempt. Using surfboards and wetsuits kindly provided by Surfing South Africa as part of surfing’s national controlling body’s transformation program, which is supported by Sport & Recreation SA and the Lotto, the youngsters will also enjoy a hearty meal donated by Compass Bakery.

The festival gets underway at 8am on Saturday with a nationally rated Longboard surfing event run by the WP Longboard Club that has attracted top exponents from all over the country where the winners will be crowned on Sunday morning. The Coreban SUP races run between 10am and 12noon on both days and will utilise an ‘M’ shaped course through the surf that ensures spectators will be close to the action in this burgeoning watersport discipline.

All-day activities on both days include the works of renowned photographer Nic Bothma who will be displaying images from previous Earthwave events and also big-wave action around the Peninsula. There is also the opportunity to get some exercise and raise some funds for Spin 4 Charity, who will be conducting trials for the their own 24 hour Guinness World Record attempt at next year’s Earthwave festival.

Well known environmental organisations such as 350.org and the 90 x 2030 Project will be presenting talks on climate change and sustainable lifestyle options and 3rd Rock Energy will display solar and wind turbine energy generators. The Climate Action Partnership will calculate your carbon footprint, with prizes for those with the lowest impact on the environment, and there will also be a display and information on marine creatures by Save Our Seas and the Shark Spotters.

The event is supported by the City of Cape Town with the Environmental Resource Management Dept have providing copies of their excellent Smart Living Handbook in print and digital versions for those seeking the best way to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, along with copies of their guide to Western Cape Beaches. And Cape Town Tourism will be hosting a quiz with prizes just after 12noon on Saturday.

Spectators and participants alike can show their support for the meritorious efforts of the Sunflower Fund on behalf of leukemia sufferers by purchasing a Bandana at Earthwave and wearing it during the world record attempt.

Earthwave is supported by Loaded Smoothies, who will be dispensing their range of delicious and nutritious health drinks to participants and spectators, and will distribute tens of thousands of Rands of branded products in competitions, a raffle and competitions.

Products up for grabs include top-of-the-range footwear from Kustom, chairs using environmentally friendly materials designed by TV personality Aidan Bennetts, top-class Derevko Wetsuits, Hemporium bags and apparel made from environmentally friendly hemp, clothing and accessories from O’Neill, Caves Surfwear and Billabong, sunglasses from VonZipper, shoes from New Balance and surf wax from Palmers.

There are also magazines from Zigzag, vouchers from top restaurants such as the Empire Café, Rafikis and Octopus’s Garden, a year’s subscription of surf forecast SMS’s from Wavescape and Bulk SMS and much, much more.

The 2010 Earthwave Beach Festival culminates in the Corona Earthwave After-Party at the recently renovated Brass Bell in Kalk Bay starting at 5.30pm on Sunday. Starring surf band Little Kings, the after party will also feature the Corona promo-girls, surf movies from the Wavescape Film Festival, more prizes and give-aways and the announcement of the official number of surfers on one wave earlier in the day.

For further information see the Program of Events at www.kahunasurf.co.za/kp/earthwave-2010 and the Facebook group Earthwave Beach Festival 2010 where video footage on how seriously participants train for the event, produced by the Fabulous Boomtown Boys, can be viewed.

The Earthwave Beach Festival is produced by Kahuna Promotions and proudly supported by Wavescape, the official online and surf forecasting partner for Earthwave.

Contact kahunasurf@mweb.co.za for details on how to become part of this sustainable lifestyles initiative.

Momentum is building for the Guinness World Record attempt for the ‘most surfers riding the same wave’ that will be staged at the Earthwave Beach Festival in Muizenberg on the weekend 25 & 26 September.

The festival offers a full program of events over the two days including a nationally rated Longboard surfing contest, Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) races in the waves, plenty of beach activities for all ages, talks and demonstrations on environmentally sustainable topics and products, with the highlight being the attempt to get more than 110 surfers to ride the same wave for more than five seconds.

Supported by Loaded Smoothies, who will be dispensing their range of nutritious health drinks to participants and spectators, Earthwave also provides a forum for organisations such as Spin 4 Charity, the Sunflower Fund and the Shark Spotters program to raise awareness and funds for their worthy causes.

Tens of thousands of Rands of branded products will be given away, raffled, auctioned and won in activities like the popular Dig for Gold, beach cleanups. Prizes include Kustom footwear as worn by Joel Parkinson and other world and world-class surfers, environmentally friendly furniture items designed by TV personality Aidan Bennetts, Derevko Wetsuits, Hemporium products, New Balance shoes, apparel and accessories by O’Neill and Caves Surfwear and many more.

The Corona Earthwave After-Party will showcase the newly revamped Brass Bell in Kalk Bay where surf band the Little Kings, promo-girls, surf movies from the Wavescape Film Festival and more prizes and auctions, including five cases of Mexico’s favourite beer, will ensure a riot of fun and mayhem from 5pm until late on the Sunday evening!

The SUP races, organised and run by Coreban International, will use an ‘M’ shaped course that sees competitors paddling in and out through the waves twice in each heat, a first for Muizenberg. With valuable prizes at stake, the entire event will be completed on the Saturday.

The longboard surfing event, run by the WP Longboard Club, is stop No. 3 of 5 on the inaugural SA Longboard Tour and features a number of the country’s top performers. Starting on Saturday morning, the finals will be held on Sunday morning with the awards presentation staged just before an expected 500 or more participants line up to break the Guinness World Record at 12.30pm.

The SUP and longboard competitors and participants in the Guinness World Record attempt, who can include anyone who can stand up and ride a wave for five seconds or more, will be fueled by Monster Energy who will also be providing stickers, tattoos and other promotional items for all attending the festival.

Registration for the GWR starts at 10am on the Sunday and those wishing to be part of record breaking attempt are advised to check in early to prevent parking hassles and avoid the rush before the lineup. Entry costs R50 and all participants need to sign an indemnity form (signed by a parent/guardian for those under 18) and provide an email address to which an official certificate of participation will be sent.

The Earthwave Beach Festival at Muizenberg provides unlimited sponsorship opportunities for companies and organisations keen on promoting their environmental credentials or simply wanting to showcase their products and services to a receptive audience and through the saturation media coverage.

The Earthwave Beach Festival will again host an attempt to challenge the Guinness World Record for the most surfers riding the same wave at Surfers Corner on Muizenberg Beach on the weekend of 25 & 26 September 2010.

The fourth edition of the popular festival that harnesses the huge interest surrounding attempts to break Guinness World Records (GWR) to promote sustainable lifestyle choices, will include a national SA Longboard Surfing (SALSA) event and Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) races featuring many of the country’s top performers, alongside plenty of fun beach activities, demonstrations and talks on climate change over the two days.

“We excited about Earthwave 2010 and after setting the Guinness World Record of 110 surfers riding the same wave at Muizenberg last year, we feel that we can raise the record even further,’ says Paul Botha from Kahuna Promotions, the organisers of the festival.

“Earthwave has become a really fun, mass participation event since 2006 with more than 440 surfers of every age and ability paddling out to break the record last year, and three times that many on the beach urging them on,” Botha added. “We’re inviting environmental organisations and companies to join us at the event to raise awareness of climate change and what can be done to reduce our impact on the planet.”

“There’ll be plenty of action in the ocean and on the beach with heaps of give-aways, raffles for worthy causes and competitions like Dig for Gold with prizes worth tens of thousands of Rands. And the whole fiesta ends off with the after-party-of-the-year at the Brass Bell.”

The attempt on the Guinness World Record will be made between 1pm and 2pm on Sunday 26 September, with registration starting at 10am, and the SALSA longboard surfing event and SUP races will start on Saturday 25, with the finals on the Sunday morning.

Earthwave Brazil, where the Guinness World Record of 100 surfers riding the same wave was set in 2008, will also be making another attempt to break the record on Sunday 12 September as part of a three day professional longboarding and SUP event at Quebra Mar near Sao Paulo.

The Earthwave Beach Festival at Muizenberg provides unlimited sponsorship opportunities for companies and organisations keen on promoting their environmental credentials or simply wanting to showcase their products and services to a receptive audience and through the saturation media coverage.

More than 100 surfers rode a wave at the Earthwave beach festival in Muizenberg, Cape Town on Sunday to break the Guinness World Record for the ‘most surfers riding the same wave’.

“We estimated that there were more than 120 surfers on the fifth of the seven waves surfed at Muizenberg during Earthwave,’ said Paul Botha of Kahuna Promotions, the founders of the event that leverages the publicity generated by the world record attempt to promote awareness of climate change and sustainable lifestyles.

“However, the photographic evidence we have so far shows that there were 103 on the same wave, which is enough to overtake the record of 100 set by Earthwave Brazil in Santos last year,” Botha added. “We are still waiting for more images and video footage that we will submit to the Guinness World Record organisation in London to have the record ratified.”

In ideal sunshine conditions, a light offshore breeze and small 0.5 to one metre waves, a total of 443 surfers of all ages and abilities registered to try and bring the record back to Cape Town after Brazil had exceeded the 73 on one wave set at Muizenberg in 2006.

Five times the number in the water lined the beachfront cheering every attempt and urging their champions on as they rode the waves for five seconds before being counted, taking part in a host of fun-filled activities and fund-raising initiatives.

Activities included the inaugural Earthwave Longboard Classic, demos of SUP by Coreban, a talk entitled ‘Climate Change: How you can help’ presented by Augustine Morkel, estate manager of the internationally renowned Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, beach cleanups conducted by Ocean Minded, a Dig for Gold fund-raiser with prizes from the surf industry and local businesses and more.

The carbon footprint of the event was reduced by Metrorail allowing anyone with a surfboard to travel free on the train to and from Muizenberg while others could buy half-price fares to and from the destination. There were also specially demarcated bins to recycle the paper, plastic, glass and other refuse, minimal energy use and certificates of participation in the record-breaking event will be sent out digitally instead of being printed on paper.

The Earthwave event was also used as a forum to promote the Shark Spotters programme, the Save Our Seas Foundation, National Bandana day on 14 October for the Sunflower Fund and Cape Town Tourism’s ‘Live it, Love it, LOUDER!’ campaign for the city hosting the FIFA World Cup next year.

The action continues with an after-party tonight at the Brass Bell in conjunction the Zigzag’s celebration of the 200th edition of SA’s longest established surfing magazine. The official numbers on the wave will be announced and SA’s funniest surfer, Mark Sampson will entertain.

Patrons will have the opportunity to win valuable prizes including R10 000 in accommodation from the Cape Villa Collection, a custom Natural Curve surfboard, Billabong watch, O’Neill wetsuit and a one-of-a-kind big-wave surfboard signed by the participants in last year’s iconic Red Bull Big Wave Africa event.

More on Earthwave, its aims and objectives, is available on the mini-site www.kahunasurf.co.za/kp/earthwave and on Wavescape.co.za, the event’s official digital media partner.

Earthwave is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national controlling body for the sport and endorsed by the International Surfing Association (ISA) and Surfrider Foundation whose Argentina Chapter will be running the Earthwave event in that country.

Contact kahunasurf@mweb.co.za for further information on the Earthwave global surfing and sustainable lifestyles event and how to become part of this global movement.

Despite the near gale-force South East winds currently turning the surf into a churning mass of whitewater at Muizenberg, the venue for the Earthwave beach festival on Sunday, Cape Town surfers and the organisers are confident of breaking the Guinness World Record for the ‘most surfers riding the same wave’.

“Surf prediction guru, Steve Pike of Wavescape.co.za, tells us that the wind will drop on Saturday and Sunday will have very light winds, sunshine and small waves,” says Dene Botha of Kahuna Promotions, the founders of Earthwave. “This will provide ideal conditions for us to break the Guinness World Record of 100 surfers on the same wave set at Earthwave Brazil last year.”

With unprecedented interest in the record breaking attempt from the Cape Town surfing community, the organisers are expecting more than 350 surfers to lineup at 12.30 on Sunday before taking to the water between 1 and 2pm to try and reclaim the record they set with 73 surfers on the same wave in 2006.

“While the record attempt is the highlight of the day, there is an exciting program of events scheduled including talks and demonstrations on sustainable lifestyle choices to reduce our impact on climate change, Longboard and SUP events, a Diski Dancing demonstration, Miss Earth SA in attendance, thousands of Rands of prizes to be given away and a great after-party at the Brass Bell where the official results will be announced,” Botha said.

The day’s activities start at 8.30am with the Earthwave Longboard Classic run by the WP Longboard Club while displays and presentations on sharks by Save our Seas and the Shark Spotters program and on preserving our waterways by Ocean Minded, demos of SUP equipment with free lessons by Coreban and beach competitions are staged.

Environmental initiatives include a talk on “Climate Change – how can you help” by Augustine T Morkel, Estate Manager : Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens scheduled for 11.30 and Kirstenbosch is also donating packs of indigenous plant seeds for all who participate. Ocean Minded will coordinate a beach cleanup and refuse at the event will be collected in specially demarcated bins that separate paper, plastic, glass and organic waste for recycling.

To further reduce the carbon footprint of Earthwave and to relieve traffic congestion and parking problems, Metrorail will allow anyone with a surfboard to travel free on the trains to and from Muizenberg on the day and have instituted ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ tickets for spectators. Metrorail also will be bringing a group of youngsters from disadvantaged communities to the event to participate in the free surfing lessons from the Roxy and Surf Shack surf schools.

And another 40 disadvantaged youngsters who are proficient surfers will have their participation in the Guinness World Record attempt sponsored by attorneys Bowman Gilfillan, Rafikis Restaurant and Cape Town Tourism, who will also be staging a demonstration of the Diski Dance as part of their ‘Live it! Love it! LOUDER!’ campaign to promote the City’s hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Children can participate in the Dig for Gold, where prizes exceeding R20 000 will be buried in the sand, and there will be give-aways and raffles with great prizes from the likes of Billabong; Xcel Wetsuits; Von Zipper; Derevko; O’Neill; Empire Café; Palmers; Natural Curve; The Academy; Loumill Laundry; Oxbow; True Blue Travel and many, many more!

Registration for the GWR attempt will open at 10am and participants are urged to come early to avoid the rush before everyone lines up with their surfboards at 12.30. The finals of the Longboard event will be run after the record attempt and then all over-18’s will move to the Brass Bell in Kalk Bay for the after party which is being held in conjunction with the Cape Town celebration of the 200th issue of Zigzag, SA’s longest running surfing magazine.

The party will include a comedy spot by Mark Sampson, SA’s funniest surfer, and an auction of unique items including a stay for four in a five-star villa valued at R10 000 donated by Cape Villa Collection. The official numbers on the same wave will be announced after consulting photographic evidence and everyone will await the announcement of the numbers achieved at the Earthwave events in Brazil and Argentina that are expected around 9pm that evening to find out if the world record has been broken.

Earthwave is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national controlling body for the sport and endorsed by the International Surfing Association (ISA) and Surfrider Foundation whose Argentina Chapter will be running the Earthwave event in that country.

Contact kahunasurf@mweb.co.za for further information on the Earthwave global surfing and sustainable lifestyles event and how to become part of this global movement.

Cape Town surfers determined to recapture Guinness World Record at Earthwave

Since declaring their intention to recapture the Guinness World Record for the ‘most surfers riding the same wave’ at the Earthwave festival to be staged at Muizenberg Beach on Sunday 4 October, Cape Town surfers have been putting in hours of preparation for the event.

A crew from The Fabulous Boomtown Boys, headquartered right on Muizenberg Beach, captured footage of a clandestine training session earlier this week with all the participants having that steely look in their eyes that has seen South African sportsmen excel in various sporting codes around the globe.

“We’re stoked Westley Durand of Boomtown brought this situation to our attention,” said Dene Botha of Kahuna Promotions, the founders and organisers of Earthwave.

“It just shows the lengths Cape Town surfers are prepared to go to get that record back from Earthwave Brazil. With finely tuned athletes like this amongst the hundreds of participants of all ages and abilities expected to take to the surf at Muizenberg on 4 October, that record will soon be back where it belongs, right here in Cape Town!” he added grinning.

After raising the record from 44 to 84 surfers on one wave at Muizenberg in 2006, Earthwave was founded to challenge other surfing organisations worldwide to make an attempt on the GWR, celebrate the global surfing lifestyle and promote awareness of climate change, all on the same day. Earthwave Brazil raised the record to 78 in 2007 and then to 100 last year.

Earthwave will take place at Muizenberg; Quebra Mar in Santos, Brazil; Mar del Plata in Argentina and in Tahiti on 4 October this year.

The Muizenberg event features Longboard and SUP events, heaps of fun beach activities and competitions with thousands of Rands of prizes donated by surf industry and mainstream companies, environmental talks, demos and initiatives with Miss Earth South Africa, Chantal Grantham, attending and followed by a huge after-party at the Brass Bell in Kalk Bay.

To reduce the carbon footprint of the event, ease parking and traffic congestion, Metrorail will allow anyone with a surfboard to travel free to and from Muizenberg on the day, along with various other initiatives such as ‘buy-one-get-one free’ tickets and their ‘hop-on-hop-off’ fares. Call Toll free on 0800 65 64 63 or email railtourism@metrorail.co.za for details.

For further information see www.wavescape.co.za, the official digital media partner for Earthwave, and the Facebook group Earthwave 2009.

Pictured: 73 surfers successfully ride the same wave at Muizenberg in 2006 to set a new Guinness World Record that led to Kahuna Promotions challenging organisations worldwide and the creation of EarthwavePhoto: Jim McLagan / Argus

The third annual edition of Earthwave, the global environmental initiative that harnesses the huge interest surrounding attempts to break Guinness World Records (GWR) for surfing to promote sustainable lifestyle choices, is scheduled to take place on the beaches of the world on Sunday 4 October 2009.

Each event will stage an attempt on the GWR for the ‘most surfers riding one wave simultaneously’ and use the publicity to highlight the effects of climate change and showcase the products and services that are becoming available to reduce our impact on the environment.

“We are really looking forward to Earthwave 2009 and will be going all-out at Surfers Corner in Muizenberg to re-capture the Guinness World Record currently held by Earthwave Brazil,” says Paul Botha from Kahuna Promotions, who co-founded the event in 2006 with his son Dene at the iconic Cape Town surfbreak.

“Earthwave has evolved from our original attempt in 2006 when we successfully set a new record of 73 surfers on one wave while staging a debate on sharks and raising over R10 000 for the then fledgling Shark Spotters program. We will be collaborating with environmental organisations to try and run a ‘Green’ event that provides everyone with a couple of fun days at the beach while promoting lifestyle choices that will benefit the planet.”

Acknowledging the immense popularity of the original event, which attracted 349 participants and thousands of spectators, and its potential as a forum for change, Earthwave went global in 2007 when similar events were staged on the same day in Australia, Reunion Island, England, Brazil, Argentina, Tahiti and South Africa.

Inspired by Nobel Laureate Al Gore’s film “An Inconvenient Truth”, each event promoted awareness of Global Warming and climate change. Earthwave Brazil broke the GWR that year, upping the ante to 84 before shattering it again in 2008, raising the bar to an incredible 100 surfers on one wave which received worldwide news and TV coverage.

This year Earthwave South Africa will be expanded to a two-day event on Saturday and Sunday, 3 & 4 October, with a marquee tent on Muizenberg beach housing exhibits, demonstrations and promotions of environmentally friendly products and services. The program will include Longboard and Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) contests with the Guinness World Record attempt set for Sunday afternoon alongside plenty of spectator friendly events like Dig For Gold, sandcastle building and raffles to raise funds for worthy causes.

Earthwave Brazil have confirmed they will be going even bigger, running a three-day event with longboarding and SUP at Quebra Mar in Santos, while details of other events around the globe are still coming in. Interest in running Earthwave events has been received from as far afield as New Zealand, Fiji, Japan, Portugal, Holland, the USA and more.

Previously endorsed by organisations such as the International Surfing Association (ISA) and the Surfrider Foundation, whose Argentina chapter ran the event there in 2007, Earthwave invites surfing and environmental organisations worldwide to participate in this global initiative that addresses the most important issue facing mankind today.

Earthwave is the first event of its kind to be run worldwide on the same day, providing the opportunity for stand up surfers of every age and ability and on any equipment to celebrate their lifestyle and make a statement about reducing their impact on the environment.

The event provides unlimited sponsorship opportunities for companies and organisations keen on promoting their environmental credentials or simply wanting to showcase their products and services to a receptive audience and through the saturation media coverage.

See the Earthwave group on Facebook for more information or www.earthwave2007.com for highlights of previous year’s events, where you can sign up for future newsletters. A new website at www.earthwave.info is under construction.

Contact kahunasurf@mweb.co.za for further information on the Earthwave global surfing and sustainable lifestyles event and how to become part of this global movement.